schlanke Taille

Kapitel 23

—Amidst this life-or-death struggle of killing and bloodshed, a slight fluctuation in the surrounding atmosphere was felt.

"Whoosh—whoosh—in a flash, several rows of silver needles, gleaming with a blue light, shot through the air. Lie Bo, terrified, dodged, raising her sword to block the attack. She took a step forward, then coldly turned back. Suddenly, her eyes lit up; a longsword, gleaming with a chilling light, was thrust straight at her vital point. Her heart skipped a beat, and she tightly closed her eyes. This sword strike was as fluid as flowing water, yet its edge was sharp and deadly, like a white light cleaving through the twilight.

When she opened her eyes, the man in the moon-white robe before her, with his long, dark hair tied up and his elegant demeanor like a lotus, was none other than Helan Ronghua. She heard the sword hum, and felt a chill in her heart—Liebo lowered her head in disbelief, looking at the sword that had pierced her chest, still faintly gleaming with cold light.

Slowly raising his head, he saw a man with handsome features, expressionless. With a flick of his wrist, he drew his jade-like longsword—instantly drawing blood. Liebo's eyes were filled with astonishment, as if a mixture of resentment and disbelief lingered… He moved his lips, then clutched his chest. Ultimately, he uttered no words and slowly collapsed.

A gentle breeze swept by, lifting the fallen leaves like a red veil. Drops of blood trickled down and landed on the decaying leaves. The bronze sword lay abandoned to one side, and the face, beautiful as a ghost in prison, was stained with blood.

Helan Ronghua walked slowly to Ling Baiyu, calm and composed. His moon-white robes were spotless, showing no sign of dishevelment, as if he hadn't just killed someone—a woman as beautiful as a ghost. He glanced down at Ling Baiyu and asked indifferently, "Are you here alone?"

Ling Baiyu lowered his head and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression unreadable, and said indifferently, "I've come to find Xi... and you... Please lead the way, young master."

Helan Ronghua turned and left, and Ling Baiyu struggled to get up and staggered after her.

As the moon rises in the west, the night wind is silent, and owls cry. The lush and verdant pines and cypresses of the day become eerie and terrifying at night.

At that time, Ling Yueling was sitting on a rock by the stream, waiting for Helan Ronghua to return. Because of her shoulder injury, she could not move around, but she hoped to find Ling Heng as soon as possible. In her anxiety, she begged Helan Ronghua. At first, she thought he would refuse, but to her surprise, he nodded.

A number of martial arts practitioners were sitting around her. At first, Ling Yueling was not used to their strong smell of sweat and their heavy local accents. But then she realized that she had no choice in the situation, so she moved to a different seat without throwing a tantrum.

The day passed relatively peacefully, and the two young boys who had followed the other two never reappeared after that.

A sound came from the distant woods. Ling Yueling looked in the direction of the sound, picked up the sword beside her, and asked, "Who is it?"

The moonlight was bright, and a man in a moon-white robe slowly emerged—it was Helan Ronghua. Ling Yueling's brows furrowed with joy, and she jumped off the rock, leaping over him. Only when she reached Helan did she realize that there was another person behind him, his brows furrowed and his face sharp—none other than her cousin, Ling Baiyu.

Ling Baiyu was taken aback when he saw her, seemingly surprised. He then frowned and said sternly, "What are you doing here?"

Ling Yueling lowered her head. She had been terrified of her cold-faced cousin since she was a child. Now that he had caught her leaving home and coming to Luoyang Mountain, she had no way to deny it.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Ling Yueling's shoulder was wrapped in bandages, with blood still faintly visible. Ling Baiyu pulled her arm and said coldly.

"Ouch." Ling Yueling frowned, clutching her shoulder, and secretly glanced at Ling Baiyu, complaining softly, "It hurts... I was... stabbed with a sword."

"You... cough, cough cough..." Just as Ling Baiyu was about to lash out, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Ling Yueling was terrified, her voice trembling with tears: "I...I..."

Helan Ronghua brushed aside the flustered Ling Yueling and smiled faintly, "Don't panic, fetch some water first."

Ling Yueling hurriedly went to the stream, scooped up a handful of water, and rushed back. Helan Ronghua took out a pill, gave it to Ling Baiyu, and circulated some of her inner energy into him, which finally calmed him down.

Ling Yueling took a deep breath and patted her chest to calm herself down.

Wind Rises in the Forest

Nighttime, beside the Shuangjian Stream.

Helan Ronghua and Ling Baiyu sat facing each other. One was calm and composed, lost in thought; the other clutched his chest, coughing incessantly. Ling Yueling, standing beside them, looked anxious and carefully supported the somewhat weak Ling Baiyu.

Logically, now that Ling Baiyu had found Gongsun Xi and the others, he should have reunited with Gongsun Yunhe's group. However, he had just been struck by Liebo's palm, which had injured his internal organs, and he was now coughing up blood incessantly. He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was somewhat uneasy. Although Liebo's palm strike was fierce, it might not have been able to injure him to this extent. If, as Gongsun Yunhe said, he had been poisoned by Huaxi, then being struck in the internal organs now, wouldn't he vomit blood and die?

Helan Ronghua applied acupuncture to Ling Baiyu's middle Jiao meridians—the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, and the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin—in an attempt to protect his heart vessels and alleviate his hemoptysis. At this moment, he slowly withdrew the silver needles, glanced up at him, and said in a calm tone, "You've been poisoned."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yueling was startled and her face paled. She exclaimed, "Poisoned?" Ling Baiyu was taken aback, not expecting Helan Ronghua to have figured it out so quickly. He closed his eyes and nodded, "Cough cough, it's Huaxi."

Helan Ronghua took out a handkerchief and wiped her slender hands. She paused for a moment and said slowly, "Huaxi is not difficult to solve, but... at this time and in this place, I am powerless to help."

Ling Yueling was startled. Her originally rosy and beautiful face turned deathly pale. She shook Ling Baiyu's arm, "Then... what should we do? Cousin, how... how could you be poisoned?"

Helan Ronghua subtly brushed away Ling Yueling's hand that was pushing Ling Baiyu away, and said gently, "If you keep shaking him, he'll vomit even more." Hearing this, Ling Yueling quickly withdrew her hand, her brows still furrowed with worry. Helan continued, "There's no antidote here. Right now, the only thing we can do is get you out of here as soon as possible." She turned to look at Ling Yueling and said softly, "Please go and find Gongsun Xi. We'll set off immediately after tonight." Then, looking at Ling Baiyu, she said slowly, "You will guide us."

Wisps of smoke curled upwards.

A wisp of white smoke, carrying the aroma of grilled fish, drifted through the woods, lingering and incredibly tempting.

It was two hours into the afternoon. The shadows of the trees in the forest were dappled, and the sunlight was not strong. Although it was summer, there was a chill in the air.

In a small clearing beneath several lush tallow trees in the grove, seven corpses lay side by side. A man dressed in a worn white shirt, with fair skin and delicate features, was squatting beside the corpses, carefully examining them, muttering to himself and nodding occasionally. He was looking very attentively, just like a conscientious coroner.

These corpses were the Ye family's Shadows, who were originally lying in ambush on Mangtuo Peak, ready to launch a sneak attack, but unfortunately, they were discovered by Hei Yue, who was enthusiastically riding a harpoon to catch fish in the stream, and Ye Changsheng, who was carrying a cloth bag and waiting on the bank to put the fish in.

Hei Yue squatted to the side, munching on a grilled fish. From noon until now, she had been watching Ye Changsheng calmly and collectedly dissecting the corpse with great interest. She let out an "Ah," raised the fishbone in her hand, chuckled, and then asked the 148th question after "You're confirming their identities, you're looking for the antidote, you're looking for the map, you're looking for the hidden weapons, etc.," "Are you looking for fennel?"

Ye Changsheng's eyebrows twitched, and he stood up, clapped his hands, and smiled slightly, "I was just confirming their identities."

Black Moon slapped the corpse, widened its dark eyes, and stood up, shouting, "That's the first thing I asked, little beauty! Are you even listening to me?"

"Ah..." Ye Changsheng said apologetically, "Is that so?"

“Yes! Of course!” Black Moon nodded repeatedly, smiling as she said, “You’ve been watching them all afternoon, so who exactly are they?”

Chang Sheng sighed softly, took another grilled fish from the shelf, and elegantly peeled away the outer layer of charred skin. After thinking for a moment, he thought, "They are the Ye family's shadow forces, or rather, some troublesome ones within the Ye family's shadow forces..."

"For example, for example?" Black Moon's interest grew even higher as she gestured wildly.

Changsheng tore off a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and said somewhat vaguely, "These seven corpses are the White Talisman Ten Shadows, who are skilled in lightness skills and assassination—cough cough, why the White Talisman Ten Shadows and not the White Talisman Seven Shadows? It's possible that only seven of them came, or it's very possible that three of them have already escaped—that is to say, it's possible... just possible... Ye Junshan already knows where we are."

"Ah..." Hei Yue exclaimed, her eyes widening suddenly as she pointed at the grilled fish in Ye Changsheng's hand, "Then why are you eating fish here?"

Although Ye Changsheng ate well, he was not slow either. In a short while, the charred grilled fish was reduced to a single, clean fishbone. He wiped his hands, looked up and smiled slightly, "It's better to be full before you set off."

A gust of wind blew by, and Hei Yue felt a chill on his neck. He pulled his sleeves tighter and muttered to himself, "Which road are you going to take..." Ye Changsheng patted his shoulder kindly, stepped aside, and slowly walked away. Hei Yue stood there for a while, then suddenly came to his senses. "Little beauty, wait for me!" He ran after him.

As Ye Changsheng and Hei Yue slowly made their way back to the cave, the quick-witted Hei Yue immediately noticed that the cave was noticeably more crowded than before, with many more people: bald monks, nuns wearing hats, old Taoist priests waving whisks, and a few boisterous, second-rate thugs of unknown sects. Hei Yue was observing with interest when suddenly, a flash of red appeared ahead—a pretty and beautiful young woman came rushing towards him, sword raised and glaring fiercely at him. A soft shout rang out: "You little thief! Take this!"

At first, Hei Yue was a little confused. He saw the woman in red thrust her sword at him, but he quickly realized what was happening and jumped away. He chuckled and winked, saying, "Another little beauty. Who are you?" The woman didn't answer. She just raised her sword and attacked Hei Yue. Hei Yue didn't draw her sword. She just ran around dodging.

“Um…” Ye Changsheng began hesitantly, kindly reminding him, “Actually, she is… that day… uh, you stabbed her with a sword.”

Hei Yue slapped his forehead, as if remembering something, and abruptly stopped, charging towards Ling Yueling's sword. With a slight sidestep, he snatched the sword from her, then lashed out with the blade, whipping her buttocks hard. Ling Yueling stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, clutching her buttocks, her face flushed with shame. She glared at Hei Yue, who was perched in the tree, playing with the tassel of her sword, and roared, "You shameless little thief!"

"Little thief, little thief..." Black Moon said with a smile, "Little beauty, tell me, what did I steal from you?"

Just as Miss Ling was about to make a move, the scuffle aggravated her old injury. She clutched her shoulder and said angrily, "Give me back my sword, and I will let this go for now."

Hei Yue, convinced of his murderous aura, laughed heartily—unaware that his so-called "murderous laugh" appeared to Ye Changsheng like that of a petty thief who had stolen something and escaped capture. With a "clang," he shot Ling Yueling's sword down, magnanimously declaring, "I'm not going to hold it against you. Come and chase me if you dare!" In a leap, he landed and vanished instantly.

Ling Yueling picked up her sword from the ground, about to give chase—

Suddenly, a faint, drawn-out whistle echoed from the depths of the forest, followed by a dense rain of arrows that whistled through the air. In an instant, the sky was filled with arrows like a deluge, raining down upon them.

Curses and shouts erupted as the people outside the cave hastily brandished their weapons to deflect the incoming arrows. They were clearly suppressed and unable to create an opening. Everyone was eager to retreat into the cave, but the rain of arrows bounced off the rocks, their relentless flow like a waterfall cascading before the cave, a truly astonishing sight. Still shaken, they exchanged bewildered glances. Gongsun Xi, however, wore a somber expression, his brow furrowed as he stared at the cave entrance. He whispered to Gongsun Yunhe, "Father, I fear this is a trap to lure us into a snare."

Gongsun Yunhe looked around. Of the thirty or so people in the cave, Ye Changsheng, Hei Yue, Helan Ronghua, and Ling Baiyu were nowhere to be seen. The two exchanged a moment's glance, then Gongsun Yunhe roared, "This place is no place to linger. I fear that after the arrow barrage, there will be a fire attack. Do as I say!"

Among the martial arts practitioners, Gongsun Yunhe is highly respected and deeply loved by the people. In this time of crisis, everyone must work together to escape this encirclement. Even if someone feels hopeless and is depressed, they dare not show it.

Gongsun Yunhe grabbed a corpse from the ground and used it as a shield, while using his other hand to clear a path with his sword. He turned around and shouted, "Quick! Go!"

Seeing this, everyone followed suit, braving the rain of arrows to break out of the cave. Zhong Qiniang, Gongsun Xi, and the others also followed Gongsun Yunhe and fought their way out of the encirclement.

Outside the cave

Ye Changsheng lay in ambush on the towering spruce tree where the Black Moon had been hiding. He observed that apart from the twenty or so people who had been killed by arrows, the remaining thirty-odd people were still fighting fiercely with those outside the cave who were trying to break through.

The situation was tense, resulting in a stalemate. The Ye family's shadow forces, using arrow formations as cover, dispatched over twenty men, skilled in ruthless martial arts and decisive in their actions. Meanwhile, the thirty-odd people in the cave, having survived the many trials of Luoyang Mountain, were clearly elites from their respective factions, despite their diverse martial arts styles. The shouts of battle filled the air, and the two sides remained locked in a stalemate.

Ye Changsheng watched from the sidelines, waiting for Ye Junshan's decisive move. She didn't believe Ye Junshan intended to kill all the martial arts figures on Luoyang Mountain by sending only twenty Ye family shadows. While these men were skilled, they were no match for Ling Baiyu and Zhong Qiniang, let alone Gongsun Yunhe. Ye Junshan was cunning and cautious; he wouldn't be so uncertain as to merely stir up trouble—if it was a feint, a test of the waters, then where would his true purpose lie?

In a flash, there was no one left in the tree.

Two screams rang out from within the arrow volley. Gongsun Xi frowned, his long brow furrowing. He was engaged in combat with a shadowy figure when, with a "thud," the figure fell to the ground, a bloody gash appearing on his neck. Ye Changsheng suddenly appeared before him, taking a silver ribbon from his hand and pulling him in the opposite direction, leaping into the darkness of the dense forest behind the mountain. The wind whistled past their ears, and for a moment, Gongsun Xi forgot to ask Ye Changsheng how he acquired such superb lightness skills.

Her voice came from ahead, calm yet clear, "Take them with you, follow the Twin Streams, and don't look back."

Gongsun Xi then discovered that there were two other people in the woods: Ling Yueling and Ling Baiyu, who was injured and very weak.

"Then you..." He turned around to speak, only to find that the person behind him had already disappeared.

A person stood on a rock that jutted out from the forest.

With her long robe flowing loosely, her black hair cascading down, her eyes alluring, and her smile bewitching, it was none other than Li Huangyin.

Beside him stood a stunningly beautiful woman in red, who stood respectfully to the side. His eyelashes were slightly closed, and his beautiful eyes held a mixture of suppressed excitement and restraint.

"Has it started?" Li Huangyin's clear and charming voice rang out with a smile on her lips.

"Ye Junshan has already set up an arrow formation and sent Liu Yande to lead the Shadow Army out." Jiang Qi's voice was not loud, but he said each word clearly, "Does the Lord think we should strike now to catch them off guard, or sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, reaping the benefits as a fisherman?"

"Wait..." After a long while, Li Huangyin slowly uttered a single word.

With a loud crash, a large wooden barrel, as tall as a person, was pushed off the arrow array. As it rolled, the lid flew off, and after shaking for a while, blood-red snakes crawled out of it.

Screams, the clash of weapons, and curses suddenly erupted from the arrow volley.

Just as Ye Changsheng was about to return to the arrow formation to search for Zhong Qiniang, he was suddenly grabbed by a black shadow and dragged away at breakneck speed—it was Hei Yue, who had disappeared earlier. Changsheng cried out in despair and waved his hand to tell Hei Yue to stop—suddenly, her face turned deathly pale, covered in cold sweat, and her hands clutched tightly to her chest, where a broken heart lay, missing a beat…and then…stopped beating…

—It felt like an eternity had passed, her heart seemed to stop beating, followed by a piercing pain… Changsheng opened her mouth, but couldn’t utter a word. Her mind was blank, and with each breath, it felt like a thousand arrows were piercing her heart.

The cold pool and clear water could heal wounds and clear poison, but it couldn't restore her injured heart meridian to its original state. Her medicine had long been lost on Luoyang Mountain. These past few days, she had overthought things and repeatedly used martial arts, and she should know the result—the Black Moon in front of her was still running with her hand in hand, complaining that Ling Yueling had turned her sword against him, who was so cute, right from the start, and also complaining that Ye Junshan's people had arrived too quickly... She talked a lot and her tongue was fast, and she didn't notice anything unusual about her at all.

The pain in his chest gradually became numb... Ye Changsheng's mind was completely blank; he couldn't say anything, he couldn't utter a single word...

—At this moment, a white figure swept in from behind, knocked down Hei Yue's hand that was holding Ye Changsheng, swept his palm horizontally, picked up Ye Changsheng and moved to the side in an instant.

In a flash, Hei Yue felt an overwhelming pressure on his chest. If he hadn't rolled over and braced himself to absorb most of the force, his internal organs would probably have ruptured by now. He didn't know what had happened. When he looked up, he realized that Ye Changsheng was no longer behind him. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the white-clad man who had taken Ye Changsheng away was none other than the young master who owed him the consultation fee.

But now, the young man's face was somber and pale, as if it were Ye Changsheng, not him, who owed him the consultation fee. His gentle and refined face turned ashen, and his usually calm and composed voice trembled. He pressed his fingers swiftly on the acupoints around her chest, while his trembling hand gently touched her thin cheek. "Sheng'er, it's alright. It's just that your blood flow has temporarily stopped. Remember to breathe. It's alright, it's alright..."

As Hei Yue slowly shifted his gaze to the woman in his arms, a chill instantly seeped into his entire being. He had never seen Ye Changsheng like this before; her chest rose and fell only slightly, her eyes staring blankly, as if she were truly dead.

Years of longing between brows

"Thump"—After what seemed like an eternity, his heart finally skipped a beat. Chang Sheng took a deep breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and he began to breathe rapidly. Although blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes gradually cleared…

Suddenly, many things flashed through her eyes. She remembered that she couldn't faint now… Her master's voice rang in her ears, and the unique lotus fragrance emanating from him lingered in her nostrils… She couldn't faint. Ye Junshan hadn't gone up the mountain yet, Li Huangyin hadn't made her move, and they hadn't escaped yet—as countless thoughts raced through her mind, forcing herself to stay awake, Helan Ronghua pressed her palm against his back, transmitting a surge of true energy. Changsheng rested his forehead on his shoulder, panting. His hands, which had been tightly gripping his chest, gradually loosened. He stared blankly at Helan Ronghua, who was holding him tightly, and stammered, "Master…"

Suddenly, Changsheng coughed violently. A sweet taste came from her throat, and drops of warm blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. She covered her mouth, gritted her teeth, and did not utter a sound. Her other hand was on her chest as she struggled to get up.

Helan Ronghua's body trembled, his eyes filled with sorrow deeper than the heavens. He gently lifted Changsheng's head and cradled it against his neck, softly patting her back and repeatedly calling out, "It's alright... Sheng'er, it's alright..."

Chang Sheng didn't get up. She took a breath and hesitated for a moment, but still gently pushed He Lan Ronghua away. She raised her head and said in a hoarse but undeniable voice, "Master, I can't be here."

Helan Ronghua remained silent, his eyes filled with a flickering stillness. He said softly, "You can't leave. I'll take you away now and never let you interfere in the affairs of the martial world again."

Their eyes met, and she let out a long sigh, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. She smiled faintly, "Master, don't worry. The fact that you're still coughing up blood means you're alright." She gently pushed Helan Ronghua away and stood up unsteadily. She wasn't very stable, but she stood firmly without falling.

Ye Changsheng waved to Hei Yue, who was standing bewildered beside him—his eyes were still filled with doubt and uncertainty. He truly believed that Ye Changsheng was going to die, or that he had dragged her along in a frantic run until she died. His dark eyes were brimming with tears. When he saw Ye Changsheng not only stand up again but also wave to him, his tears welled up again. He watched her cautiously, afraid that she might stumble and fall again.